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nfl
OK, Just How Did Michael Crabtree Slip To No. 10 In The Draft?
As if from a Dickens novel, the 49ers found Michael Crabtree in a basket on their porch on Saturday with a note pinned to his blanket: One receiver, courtesy of Mr. Al Davis, Esq.
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nfl
The Prodigal Son Returns, Kind Of
Former Gilroy High, San Jose State and San Francisco 49ers QB Jeff Garcia, 39, is now an Oakland Raider, and may challenge DeMarcus Russell for the starting role. Good one, Al. [San Francisco Chronicle] -
nfl
Will Raiders Go Truly Retro On NFL's Opening Throwback Weekend?
How quickly we forget that before Al Davis took over the team in 1963, the AFL franchise was scheduled to be named the Oakland SenĂ²res. [San Francisco Chronicle] -
lane kiffin
The Lane Kiffin Era Continues Its Inexorable Slide Into Craziness
At last spring football has arrived in fair Knoxville, which surely means that rookie coach Lane Kiffin can leave all those little distractions behind and get down to some straight-up coachin', right? Right? More » -
nfl
The Cable Guy Finally Shows Up
Sources have told the San Francisco Chronicle and NFL Network that the Raiders have settled on Tom Cable as head coach. Press conference possibly today. [San Francisco Chronicle] -
nfl
Breaking (Not Really): Chris Mortensen Told The Raiders He Was Sorry (Really)
Remember when Mort refused to call the Raiders to confirm that they were being sold? Yeah, he quietly apologized because he was wrong. (And the story was also not true, apparently.) [TFTDS] -
nfl
Chris Mortensen And Oakland Raiders Are Having The Biggest Fight Ever
The most important facet of any relationship is communication, and ESPN's crack football writer and the NFL's angriest franchise are apparently lacking in that department. More » -
nfl
Does This Guy Look Drunk And Belligerent To You?
You may have seen the story posted on Sunday about an innocent fan who was thrown out of Raymond James Stadium for doing absolutely nothing wrong—besides rooting for the visiting team.
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oakland raiders
Just Chill, Baby
Oakland Raiders take unique approach to upcoming game with Patriots; take four straight days off. [Thoughts From The Dark Side] -
lane kiffin
It's Going To Be A Cold Winter In Knoxville
The effects of the recession are being felt everywhere, even at universities with big-time football programs. In Monday's online edition of the Knoxville News Sentinel, it was reported that new Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin will make $2 million next season. Then, in the local news section the following day, well, just take a look at the accompanying graphic. Hey, the money has to come from somewhere. More » -
tennessee volunteers
Know Your New Tennessee Football Coaches
Lane Kiffin moves all of his crap into the head football coach's office at Tennessee today, only the third time someone has done that in the past 31 years. Phil Fulmer said goodbye on Saturday and Kiffin will be announced as his successor today, most likely what he's had in mind since the last Sunday in Sept., when he called for that 76-yard field goal against the Chargers. Attempt comically doomed field goal; get self fired by elderly, cantankerous owner; field college coaching offers; profit. One thing he probably didn't think through, however: More » -
oakland raiders
Who Can Reassemble The Smoldering Rubble That Is The Oakland Raiders?
As bad as things are going for the San Francisco 49ers this season, they aren't even close to being the most dysfunctional football team in the Bay Area. Just how bad are things in Raiderland, on a scale of 1 to Armageddon? Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (pictured) and safety Gibril Wilson are now talking mutiny, and they never say anything. More » -
oakland raiders
Hey, That's Hate Speech
I've heard of slinging mud, but this is just going too far. Seen high over Denver's Invesco Field during the Dolphins-Broncos game on Sunday, this banner linking John McCain to the NFL franchise which lost 24-0 to the Falcons earlier in the day. Oakland gained 78 yards total offense in the process, meaning that McCain would have to lose every state except Hawaii in order for this to be an accurate correlation. Here's the video, in case you're a fan of low-flying aircraft and random chortles. More » -
oakland raiders
Al Davis To Be Wheeled Into Court Yet Again
And so it begins ... Lane Kiffin vs. Al Davis in court, as you always knew it would end up. Bright and early this morning, Kiffin filed a grievance with the league alleging that the Raiders owe him the $2.6 million balance on his contract after he was fired in Sept., to which I respond, what took you so long? This one's going to be fun, because Davis lives for such legal drama, and Kiffin seems to have a good case. At any rate, the Raiders team itself surely won't be distracted by any of this! More » -
oakland raiders
Warren Sapp Weighs In On Al Davis
Warren Sapp isn't quite the Charles Barkley of NFL broadcasting, but he may get there yet, as long as the Al Davis stories hold out. Sapp, a regular on Showtime's Inside the NFL, played for the Raiders for four seasons, and with his insights on Davis and the way things were run, he can finally put his big yap to good use. Sapp said that Lane Kiffin — whom Davis fired last week — was never given a chance to turn the team around. And that's because Davis is out of touch. More » -
oakland raiders
Al Davis Releases The Hounds
As the dust settles from Tuesday's Oakland Raiders press conference, shellshocked witnesses are only now coming to grips with what occurred. I wasn't there, but I listened on the radio, and came away with this impression: Al Davis needs to be tranquilized and relocated further back into the woods. Whenever he emerges into civilization — which is rare these days — only heartache and chaos can result; on Tuesday the target was Lane Kiffin, but next time it could be you or me. Several amusing accounts have emerged this morning, one of the best being from Ann Killion of the San Jose Mercury: More » -
oakland raiders
Al Davis Wants To Get A Few Things Off His Chest
Wow. For those who just witnessed Al Davis' bizarre press conference accusing former head coach Lane Kiffin of "lying" and "propaganda" among other things, I can't tell if I have more respect for Al Davis or am just dumbfounded by the brazenness of it all. Davis has revealed a letter (which he's put on overhead projector for the press corps) that he wrote to Kiffin prior to the Kansas City game outlining the former coach's faults and his bumbling personnel moves. He essentially calls Kiffin a baby for blaming the team's losing record on ownership and for throwing defensive coordinator Rob Ryan under the bus. He also keeps railing about "Mortensen" for breaking the story and accuses Kiffin of leaking the letter to the ESPN reporter because "that's the way he wanted to handle it." (Great question to the local reporters assembled: "Why didn't any of you guys have it?") More » -
oakland raiders
The Lane Kiffin Death Watch Resumes
For the record, the Oakland Raiders attempted a 76-yard field goal on Sunday, and if that ain't a What-The-Fuck-Do-I-Have-To-Lose-I'm-Toast-Anyway moment for their head coach, I don't know what is. Seventy-six yards. To paraphrase some politician, that's the longest Hail Mary in the history of football or Marys. In other words, expect Lane Kiffin to be stuffing Raider towels and assorted small toiletries into his suitcase as you read this; he's probably already fired. But you know what? It doesn't matter. More » -
oakland raiders
'It's Just Al In The Darkness Now.' Tim Kawakami Discusses His Run-In At Raiders Headquarters
In The Princess Bride, Westley only had to make it through the Fire Swamp once. But San Jose Mercury reporter Tim Kawakami has to brave the danger that is the Oakland Raiders' Alameda headquarters on a regular basis, and that's much, much worse. It's not an easy job, but it's never boring. By now you've probably seen the video of Kawakami's run-in on Monday with Raiders senior executive John Herrera, which has become a viral superstar in the few short hours it's been up today. Herrera offering to punch Kawakami, and the reporter replying that he'd "love to own a piece of the franchise" has become the quote of the month so far.
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oakland raiders
Raiders Press Conferences Are Fun, Even When No One Gets Fired
They all gathered at Raiders headquarters on Monday to watch Lane Kiffin get fired, but no such thing occurred. Kiffin is, apparently, still the head coach, at least for the next few hours. So instead of an execution, the scheduled entertainment involved Raiders senior executive John Herrera interrupting the proceedings by yelling at San Jose Mercury reporter Tim Kawakami. Finger jabbing and threats of lawsuits ensued. Al Davis, nowhere to be seen. Ladies and gentlemen, your Oakland Raiders! More » -
oakland raiders
Lane Kiffin Approaching Final Hours Of Employment Under Snarling Corpse
After week-long speculation about the fate of the Oakland Raiders beleaguered head coach Lane Kiffin, it appears scary-old-tree-looking owner Al Davis has informed young Kiffin via his silver and black henchmen that he's about to (officially) get canned. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported last night that team sources have confirmed Kiffin's imminent departure today and Chris Mortensen piggy-backed off of that tip to get his own anonymous confirmation. More » -
oakland raiders
Raiders DT Tommy Kelly Celebrates Big Win With DUI
At least the Raiders didn't give Kelly a $50.5 million dollar contract with $18.6 million in guarantees last offseason. That would have been the largest contract in the history of the NFL for a defensive tackle. A defensive tackle who was coming off ACL surgery, only played in 7 games, recorded just 30 tackles and one sack. Wait, they did that? Oh...well this suspicion of a DUI isn't going to help things one bit. At least there are no issues in Oakland right now. More » -
oakland raiders
Kiffin And His 'Hang In There' Cat Poster Could Be Gone By Tonight
This is kind of a shocker even for Al Davis: Despite a solid win over Kansas City on Sunday, Lane Kiffin is reportedly as good as gone as head coach of the Raiders, perhaps as early as this week. The Chronicle's Nancy Gay says that it's going to be Rob Ryan taking over. And once again we're reminded that HBO made a huge miscalculation in deciding to follow the Cowboys in a reality series instead of the Raiders. More » -
oakland raiders
Raiders' D-Coordinator Lashes Out; Let's Watch The Fun
Lane Kiffin was never the right fit for the Oakland Raiders, and you know that by simply looking at him. Smartly coiffed, well dressed, soft spoken; he should be employed by the Colts, or perhaps Homeland Security. Now Rob Ryan, there's a Raiders coach. The defensive coordinator is the very definition of disheveled, which meshes more comfortably with the Madden-Stabler-Alzado tradition of the franchise. Disheveled is also a good description of the team to this point, as evidenced on Thursday when Ryan spoke out, blasting critics who say that he and Kiffin don't get along. More » -
oakland raiders
Al Davis Finds Your Lack Of Faith Disturbing
This man does not want your pity. Yes, the Oakland Raiders are 0-1, having created such a large vortex of suck on Sunday night against the visiting Broncos that pedestrians, buses, small businesses and I'm pretty sure my cat were inhaled into the blackness, never to be seen again. So bad was the thrashing that MIT temporarily suspended the laws of mathematics to eliminate Oakland from playoff contention after one week. But Al Davis remains defiant, continuing to openly decry, in order: the NFL, lawn trespassers, children, pets, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Oakland, continence, Mike Shanahan, songbirds, nature, sunlight, the running game, short passes, Lane Kiffin, puppies, and most significantly, reality. More » -
live blogs
Monday Night Football (After Dark): Broncos-Raiders
Hope you got all your NFC North love juice out of your system, because now it's time for an AFC West trainwreck with the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. And who shall share this endeavor with us in the ESPN booth? Why, it's three Mikes, all with mikes. Mike & Mike's Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic, along with football's Mike Ditka. Mike, mike mike mike — mike mike! — mike mike Mike? Aw, hell, that's all I can type now. Mike mike mike jump mike mike mike.
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oakland raiders
NFL Season Preview: Oakland Raiders
The NFL season has officially started, so it's time to finish the impassioned season previews from various writers, bloggers, diehard fans, cooks, TV personalities, and numerous other walks of life whom consider football the only sport worth watching. Clearly, these previews will be running until, oh, the first round of the wild card playoffs based on how quickly they've been coming in. More » -
oakland raiders
Raiders Games: Like Prison, Only With More Darren McFadden
Headiing out tonight for Broncos vs. Raiders in Oakland; it's been about three years since I've been to a game there, and that's too long. I miss the tailgating most of all: the small, drunken children; the charcoal briquettes falling like hailstones (catch one on your tongue for luck!); the many, many parole violations. That is the NFL to me. In commemoration of their opener, The Latest Word has put together a five-video salute to Raiders fans and their playful antics. For those who can't access YouTube at work, the one above shows Raiders fans comparing notes with Chargers fans at a game last year. More » -
NFL
NFL News and Notes
God, it feels good to see football on television. I know it sucks watching third and fourth string scrubs scrambling around and dropping passes, but it's better than nothing. And it's only pre-season, so the fumbles, interceptions, and drops don't count. At least that's what I tell myself after my team loses to Detroit. With Chad Pennington finding a new home and a Raider backflipping in the endzone, what you need need to know is after the jump. More » -
javon walker
Javon Walker Talked Out of Retiring By Al Davis
Because, honestly, who among us hasn't been overwhelmed by the powers of persuasion of Al Davis? Not that Raiders fans were that optimistic about this season to begin with, but the receiver you just signed to a six year $55 million dollar deal wanting to quit doesn't instill a lot of pre-season confidence. More » -
javon walker
Javon Walker's Las Vegas Bludgeoning Won't Result In Any Missed Time
Although the details of what in Wayne Newton happened to Raiders' receiver Javon Walker early Monday morning are still being investigated, he has been released from the hospital and it appears the orbital smashing he received won't , according to Raiders' coach Lane Kiffin, keep him out of training camp. More » -
javon walker
Javon Walker Speaks Cryptically, Nonsensically About His Violent Night In Vegas
Okay, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but it is "a statement" from Javon Walker about what he says happened during his infamous champagne-spraying night in Vegas. And which lucky media outlet gets the first quote from Walker? TheDirty.com, of course. Here's what Javon told the venerable +2 blog of record: More » -
javon walker
Javon Walker's Reckless Champagne Spraying Habits May Have Led To His Cold-Cocking, Some Say
TMZ is now running photos of Walker seemingly in the middle of his $15,000 champagne splashdown party, and the site also suggests that he may have doused the wrong patron with his pink bubbly, which, as we all know, is an offense that may result in an overnight hospital stay with an orbital fracture. More » -
javon walker
Trouble-Finding Javon Walker Hospitalized After Vegas Beating, Robbery
Newly acquired Oakland Raiders wideout Javon Walker seemed to be having a festive weekend until Monday morning. The Las Vegas Journal's one-eyed gossip dog, Norm!, spotted him at Tryst nightclub Saturday night "spraying the crowd with some of the 15 bottles of Dom Perignon Rose champagne he ordered." But Monday morning, it was a different story altogether as police found Walker unconscious on a street near the Tropicana Hotel, with an orbital fracture, seemingly the victim of a robbery. More » -
the new preferred jersey of gangs everywhere
1st Round, Fourth Overall: Raiders Select Darren McFadden
It's time to bring the mood down a little, dim the lights, turn off the laugh track. Think of this as the portion of Comic Relief when Whoopie, Billy, and Robin would drop the shtick and talk seriously about whatever the hell Comic Relief was supposed to benefit. More » -
deangelo hall
The Oakland Raiders, a little thin on their depth chart at the "criticize the team in the media"-back position, look to make a deal for DeAngelo Hall. [Mercury News] -
oakland raiders
Don't get up, Dennis. Da Raiders are denying ESPN's report that Al Davis asked coach Lane Kiffin to resign. [The Sporting News] -
there's a void in the black hole today
Tiger Victim's NFL Allegiance Revealed
Continuing the long tradition of people who have been laid to rest while wearing the gear of their favorite NFL team, that guy who was killed by the tiger at the San Francisco Zoo was sent to his great reward on Tuesday while wearing a ... you guessed it ... Oakland Raiders jersey. No word on what jersey the tiger was wearing at its funeral. More » -
he's dead, jim
Al Davis Is Not At All Insane
We thought you should know that Al Davis stated recently that he will not retire until the Oakland Raiders win two more Super Bowls. We're not saying that it may take a few years, but we did immediately think of this photo. "Al, if you want a two tight end set, beep twice. For a running play, beep once." More » -
bay area blues
The Woebegone Bay Area
This has been brought up before, but in the wake of this whole Barry Bonds business, it's worth mentioning: The San Francisco bay area is going through the worst stretch of sports news in recent memory. They're like the anti-Boston. More »




































